Nuance Voice Ads Platform Gives Mobile Advertising a Say

Voice and language solutions specialist Nuance Communications unveiled Voice Ads, a mobile advertising platform that is designed to engage consumers through voice technology.

An ad appears and prompts the consumer to participate by speaking to it, and from there, the conversation drives the experience, which is tailored to meet both the needs of the brand and the consumer. Voice Ads is currently available for mobile ad platform and network providers and creative agencies as a software development kit (SDK) that can be integrated into new or existing mobile advertisement campaigns.

"Mobile advertising invites a unique opportunity for design and technology to work together, which makes Voice Ads an incredibly powerful new element in the world of interactive advertising," Laura Schneider, mobile specialist with media and marketing solutions firm OMD, said in a statement. "Infusing voice as part of the ad experience gives us an entirely new landscape of creative assets and capabilities that will transform a brand's ability to quite literally speak directly to their target audience."

The platform is optimized for the capabilities of mobile devices, including location awareness, mobility and voice input. Voice Ads technology is scalable, and is integrated with and distributed across the entire mobile ad ecosystem, according to a company release.

Nuance also announced it has partnered with a variety of creative advertising agencies in the mobile advertising ecosystem such as Digitas, OMD and Leo Burnett, as well as mobile advertising companies such as Millennial Media, Jumptap and Opera Mediaworks.

"Voice Ads redefines the relationship between consumers and mobile advertising, giving them an opportunity to engage with brands in a more meaningful way," Michael Thompson, executive vice president and general manager of Nuance Mobile, said in a statement. "Voice has already changed the mobile interface, making it faster and easier for consumers to discover and access information, and find people and content. Mobile advertising shouldn't be any different, and should be designed specifically around the unique capabilities of the mobile device."

According to eMarketer, mobile ad spending around the world more than doubled in 2012 from $4 billion in 2011 to $8.41 billion, and spending will approach $37 billion by 2016. Another survey from the analytics firm found that in the U.S., users will spend another 23 billion minutes a month on the mobile Web.

"Compelling user experiences are critical to mobile advertising—you have only a few seconds to capture the interest of a demographic that is always on the go, multi-tasking and seeking instant gratification," Brett Leary, vice president of mobile at e-marketing solutions provider Digitas, said in a statement. "Voice Ads engages multiple senses while creating an even stronger emotional connection through conversation with a brand."